If You Are Not Too Long
by terriblegrace
Summary: George has moved out and taken the rest of the Venturis with him. Now that they're apart, will Derek and Casey realize what they've been missing all along?
1. There Will Be Time

"If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life."

-Oscar Wilde

* * *

_Part One: There will be time, there will be time_

It happened so fast. By the time that Casey Macdonald had time to process what had happened, all four of them were gone. It was true that she had felt the tension, raw and undulating, building up for weeks. There was the silence, a short comment at dinner, a light turned out way before bedtime. But it still happened too fast. And nobody could have anticipated this.

Casey came home from Emily's house one night and the house was quiet. For one crazy moment, her heart stopped. She didn't hear Derek's loud music or Edwin's witty banter with Lizzie. The absence of Marti's incessant chirping nearly brought tears to her eyes. She knew the answers to all of her questions even before they were to be confirmed.

As she dropped her bag by the front door (a habit she had done away with once the Venturis moved in), Lizzie came down the stairs.

"They're gone," she told her big sister.

Casey paused, catching her breath, "What do you mean?"

"George and them, they left a few hours ago," Lizzie said, "Mom's been crying ever since."

Casey couldn't remember the last time she had seen her mother cry. She couldn't imagine what it would be like. That pesky muscle in her chest tightened, and Casey knew that once she saw her mother's tear-stained cheeks, her own tears would begin to fall. She took a deep breath.

"Do you know if they're coming back?" Casey asked.

Lizzie shrugged helplessly, "I hope so."

Casey saw the hurt in Lizzie's eyes. She and Edwin had become best friends. They got along. They could talk to and confide in each other. They were partners in crime. She put her arm around Lizzie, who buried her face against Casey's shirt. Her small frame shook for a moment as she cried as quietly as possible. Lizzie pulled away and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"At least you won't have to put up with Derek anymore," she said with a small hiccup.

_Derek_.

Casey froze at the mention of his name. Lizzie was right. With George moving out, there would be no more pesky Derek there to bother her. He wouldn't be able to urinate on the toilet seat or use the last bit of toothpaste. There wouldn't be anymore dinnertime belching or beach volley playing on the television. She would now be able to study without the annoyance of loud music vibrating through the walls. Her life would be hers to lead now. No more deceptive, manipulative Derek. It should have made her ecstatic. She should have felt relieved. Instead, she felt something quite odd. She felt disappointed almost. Empty.

"Are you going to talk to her?" Lizzie asked tentatively, staring up at her big sister with wet eyes.

Casey bent down to wipe a tear from Lizzie's cheek, "Why don't you go up to my room for a minute and I'll be up as soon as I'm done talking to Mom?"

Lizzie nodded and turned to head up the stairs. Casey waited until she was out of sight before she grabbed the banister to steady herself. For some reason, she was finding it difficult to breathe. What was going on?

The thought of her mother, alone in her room and crying, jerked Casey back to reality. She had to go console her, figure out just what was going on. Usually Nora told her children everything, but when she and George started having problems a few weeks back, not a word had been said. Casey wasn't sure what to expect as she softly knocked on her mother's door.

There was a sniffle, then, "Come in."

Nora was sitting there on the edge of her bed. A small wastebasket full of tissues rested by her feet. Casey sat next to her mother and hugged her.

"Mom, are you okay?" she asked softly, "What's going on? Lizzie said that George left."

Nora's hands shook slightly as she folded and unfolded the crumpled tissue in her hand, "Oh, Casey. I don't know what's going on."

Casey's heart broke to hear her mother's voice so pitiful and unsure. Casey shouldn't be consoling her mother. It should be the other way around. She felt slightly dizzy. Her mother always had all the answers. What were they going to do now?

"Is this permanent?" Casey asked, "I mean, are they not coming back?"

"I don't know, sweetheart," Nora replied, "I just didn't think I could do it anymore."

The tears that Nora had fought so hard to hold back came sliding quickly down her cheeks. She was embarrassed that Casey had to see her this way. Casey embraced her mother once more until she regained her composure. Nora blew her nose into the tissue she had been holding and dropped it into the wastebasket at her feet.

"Mom, what's going on with you and George?" Casey asked, grabbing the tissue box from the bedside table and extending it to her mother.

"It's just not the same as when we met," Nora said, pulling a tissue out, "I mean, he seems so distant. And he works all of the time now. There's something wrong, but he won't open up."

"Do you think he..." Casey began, but drifted off, feeling slightly foolish that she was about to bring up the subject of infidelity.

Nora just sighed, reading her daughter's mind, "I don't think so. But I'm not sure. He's been very secretive."

"Maybe he just has a lot on his mind," Casey said, "I mean, I don't know. It can't be over just like that, can it?"

Nora wrapped a protective arm around Casey, "We'll have to see. Maybe we all just need some time apart," then she paused a moment, "I'm sure you're happy to get Derek out of the house for a while."

Casey mustered a smile, "I just want you to be happy."

Nora kissed her daughter on the cheek, "Thanks for the talk. I know it's a complete role reversal, but thank you. Do you want to round up Lizzie and we can go for pizza or something?"

"That would be great," Casey replied, kissing her mother's cheek.

She left her mother's room quietly and slipped upstairs. As she passed Derek's room, she got an empty feeling in her stomach. The door was slightly ajar, and the lights were off. It was completely silent. She would give anything to have Derek back.

_For Mom's sake_, she clarified to herself.

Because Derek coming back meant that George would be back, too. And her mother could finally be happy again. But it just wasn't like her stepfather to be acting this way. Her mother had used awkward words to describe his behavior: secretive and distant. That wasn't him at all.

Lizzie startled her out of her thoughts, "What did she say?"

Casey turned to see Lizzie standing a few feet away. She had been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't even heard her come out of her room.

"Everything's a little unsure right now, Lizzie," Casey admitted, "But Mom said that maybe after some time apart, things will go back to normal."

Lizzie nodded solemnly, "Is Mom okay?"

"She's hanging in there," Casey said, "She really needs us to be strong for her right now."

"I know," Lizzie said.

Casey reached down and gently tugged on a piece of Lizzie's hair, "Do you want to go get pizza with Mom?"

Lizzie nodded in response and Casey smiled down at her, "At least you'll be able to still see Edwin at school."

Lizzie's face brightened at the idea, "Tomorrow!"

Casey laughed as Lizzie ran downstairs. The thought crossed her mind that she would see Derek at school tomorrow as well. As much as she dreaded the thought, they needed to talk. Maybe they could exchange information that would bring light to the whole situation.

Whatever was going on, Casey wanted everything to go back to the way that it was. The four Venturis needed to come back home, where they belonged.

_For Mom's sake_, she quickly reminded herself as she headed downstairs.


	2. Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?

**Author's Note: **_Thanks so much for the pleasant reviews! Also, I should say, I had no idea who the house belonged to. I haven't written any LWD fics in a while and it completely slipped my mind. I hope I corrected that whole situation in this chapter, though it still might not make much sense to some of you why George would move out of his own house. Let's just pretend like chivalry still exists, shall we?_

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* * *

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_Part Two: Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?_

"Perfect," Casey muttered, glancing at her watch, "He's late. As usual. It figures that there would be a major crisis going on and he _still_ couldn't get to school on time."

Emily put a consoling hand on her friend's shoulder, "Derek's always late."

The previous night, Casey had called Emily after several hours of staring blankly at her calculus book. Sure, she wanted to study. The numbers were there, begging her to look at them, but no matter how much she wanted to find the antiderivative of #12, she just couldn't focus.

So, she had called Emily and told her everything. They talked for quite some time before her friend repeated that familiar phrase,

"At least Derek's MIA for a little bit."

_Why does everybody keep reminding me of that? _Casey angrily thought as she remembered their conversation.

But, besides her comment about Derek, Emily had actually been fairly helpful. She reassured Casey that these kinds of things were _totally fixable_ and _definitely no sweat_. Usually her friend's incessant babbling just confused or amused her. But last night, it had made Casey feel a lot better.

The bell for first period rang and Casey tapped her foot in frustration. Sure, Derek couldn't read her mind, but he had a responsibility to his dad just like she had to her mom. But after another minute of waiting, he was still nowhere to be found.

"I know this is totally unlike me, but I need to get to Mr. Snelling's class," Emily said, "He said if I'm late one more time, he'll give me detention."

Casey was so furious at Derek, she barely heard what Emily had just said. Emily patted her on the shoulder and scooted to class. The warning bell rang.

"Ughh!" Casey groaned, twisting around fiercely to stomp off to class.

And she stomped right into Derek. Their bodies collided. The books she had been holding in her hands fell to the ground between them with a loud thud.

"Where have you been?" Casey demanded, bending to collect her books.

"What? I'm early," Derek replied, stepping over her mess of papers to his locker.

"I've been waiting for you all morning," she called up to him.

"Did we have a meeting?" he asked, twisting in his locker combination and swinging the door open.

Casey stood up, blowing a piece of stray hair out of her eyes, "Just get your books and walk me to first period. We need to talk."

Derek laughed, "You actually think I'm getting books? Come on, Casey, really."

He pulled out a bottle of cologne and gave himself a quick spray before examining his reflection on the interior of the shiny, metallic door of his locker. He popped his collar, shrugging his shoulders. Casey would have been slightly amused if she wasn't so angry at him.

"You're late because of this? This is what you do every morning at your locker while you're suppose to be in class?" she scoffed, "You are so irresponsible."

A looming figure suddenly appeared beside them. Casey tensed as she looked up to see the assistant principal standing over her.

"I'm not surprised to see you out here, Mr. Venturi. But Miss Macdonald, I have to say I'm at a loss for words," he said with a half-amusing, half-pitiable lisp.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again," she said nervously, her voice racing quickly, "I just had to discuss something with Derek. You see-"

"Well, discuss it with him during lunch period," he said, "And not now, when you're suppose to be in class."

Derek shut his locker door, "We were just on our way."

He strode away in the opposite direction of Casey's classroom. And under the disapproving stare of the assistant principal, she had no choice but to forfeit this crucial moment. She turned on her heels and headed to class.

* * *

By the time lunch finally rolled around, Casey had filled her mind with so many questions, she felt like she was going to burst. The only downside to all of this was that she would have to ask _Derek_ these questions. And she knew that he would be anything but cooperative.

He was sitting at his usual table, a pretty, unnamed girl on one side and Sam on the other. The rest of the hockey team were scattered around in the other seats. Maybe, in light of the situation, he wouldn't try to embarrass her.

Just as she was taking her first step toward the table, Derek looked up and caught her eye. An intensity sat between them, thick and constraining. He had never looked at her like this before. He shook his head slightly. She gave him a quizzical look. He never missed a beat in his conversation with the redhead beside him as he barely held up a finger to signal for her to give him a minute.

Casey rolled her eyes and shifted her bag to her other shoulder. Just like Derek to be difficult. But maybe he made sense to want to talk in private. She really didn't want the entire hockey team knowing her family's problems.

Emily shuffled up to her at that moment, "Okay, so you're going to be a little mad. But I was talking to Joanna in first period and it kind of slipped that your mom and Derek's dad were having problems."

"Em..." Casey sighed, realizing her big mistake.

At this point, Derek was handling the situation a lot better than she was. At least he hadn't blabbed the news all over the school. But nobody at school really cared about her or her problems, unless they were embarrassing. Or they involved Derek.

"Hey Casey," a girl from her history class greeted her, lunch tray in hand, "So I heard that you and Derek aren't stepsiblings anymore. Major bummer. I would love to have him in my house."

Casey gave a disgusted grunt as the girl walked away. Emily bit her lip and apologized profusely. Casey wasn't really mad at her friend. The news would have gotten out eventually. The only reason it was spreading like wildfire was because it involved Derek.

She looked back over at his table, but his seat was empty. Glancing around the cafeteria, her eyes finally landed on his as his hand rested on the exit door. When he noticed she was looking, he went outside.

"Um, I'll be right back," Casey said quickly.

"Are you mad?" Emily whined.

"No!" Casey called back, "Want to come by after school and hang out?"

"Sure!" Emily replied, but Casey had already disappeared out the door.

It took her a moment for her eyes to adjust to the sunlight after being indoors all day, but she finally spotted him standing several yards away, leaning against the wall. She strode up to him.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Derek shrugged, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, with our parents, Derek," Casey sighed, exasperated, "Or have you not noticed that we're no longer living in the same house?"

"It _has_ been kind of nice not having you around," he admitted, "I woke up this morning and didn't have to listen to you singing in the shower for half an hour while you wasted all of the hot water."

"First of all, _you_ are the one who sings in the shower. Second of all, it's been twice as nice not having _you_ around," she took a deep breath, "And third of all, why did George leave?"

"Listen, Casey, I don't know what's going on," Derek said, pushing himself off of the wall, "Guys don't really discuss their feelings."

She regarded him, incredulous, "Our parents have separated, Derek. Don't you care about this?"

"I just don't know what you want me to do. Are we going to go all _Parent Trap_ and trick our parents into getting back together?" Derek snorted, "This isn't about us. It's about them. When they're ready to talk about whatever it is that's going on, they will."

"Do you know anything about why they separated?" she asked.

Derek shook his head, "I don't know."

Realizing that they weren't going to figure anything out today, Casey decided to drop that subject and pick up with another, "Where are you guys staying?"

"With my grandma," he replied, "I guess Dad figured you guys should stay at the house since you didn't have family in the area."

Casey hadn't thought about that before. The house was technically George's. But they had been living together for so long, that she had forgotten that it wasn't just _everyone's_ house.

"Which I totally disagree with by the way," Derek pointed out, "But I guess this just means that things won't stay this way forever."

She nodded. Perhaps Derek was right. Forfeiting the house was a big deal, but there was no way it could be permanent. She was almost sure that the Venturis would be moved back in by the weekend.

"Which is unfortunate," Derek sighed, "Because now I was hoping for a longer vacation from you, Klutzilla."

Her cheeks flushed with anger, "Derek Venturi, you are so...so...ugh!"

Derek smirked, which only infuriated her even more, brushing by her and slipping back into the cafeteria.

* * *

The moment Casey got home from school, she went straight to Lizzie's room. She sure hadn't gotten anywhere with Derek. Hopefully Lizzie had been able to get some information out of Edwin, who may have been younger than Derek but who acted twice his age. Expecting to find her little sister enshrouded in melancholia, she gingerly knocked on the closed door. For a second, Casey heard some rustling about. She even thought she heard some murmuring.

"Lizzie?" she called out tentatively.

There was a loud thud and then, "Uh, just a second!"

Casey's brow furrowed, she gripped the door handle and slowly stared opening the door, "Is everything okay in there?"

As she peeked inside, Lizzie was flopping on her bed, quickly opening some random book. Something was definitely going on. Casey closed the door behind her and sat down on the bed.

"What are you reading?" Casey asked.

"Oh, you know, just some book for school," Lizzie replied hastily, "Something about a guy...in the woods...and a wolf..."

"Must be hard to read..." Casey said, and Lizzie nodded rapidly in agreement, "...since you're reading it upside down."

Lizzie looked down at the book and, realizing her mistake, blushed profusely, shoving the book to the bed.

"My teacher told me that it enhances reading comprehension skills?" she ventured.

"Spill it," Casey said, "What's going on? I heard a lot of noise in here."

Lizzie sighed, rolling off her bed. She walked to her closet and swung the door. Edwin was sitting there amongst the shoes, shirts, and stuffed animals.

"Hi," he said weakly, "What's up?"

Casey shook her head, slightly bemused, and offered a hand to help him up. As soon as he disentangled himself from the mess, he collapsed into Lizzie's desk chair.

"You guys don't have to be so secretive," Casey said.

Lizzie shrugged, "I wasn't sure if Mom would approve."

"We were actually quite covert," Edwin chimed in, "Nora never suspected a thing."

Lizzie sighed in admiration, "It _was_ pretty amazing, Casey."

"You guys are going to have to tell her," Casey said, trying to bite back a smile, "Mom isn't going to care. But you can't lie to her."

As if on cue, Nora eased the door open and stood with hands on hips. Edwin suppressed a gulp as Lizzie's face turned an unfathomable shade of red.

"I thought there was a secret meeting going on," Nora said playfully.

"I'm sorry," Lizzie said nervously, "Edwin and I just saw each other at school and kind of conjured up the plan throughout the day. It was mostly his idea, though."

Edwin popped his collar, Derek-style, "Oh yeah," and then noticed Nora's mock-angry stare and smoothed the collar back down, "I mean, I'm sorry."

"Edwin, this _is_ your house," Nora said, then added sadly, "You're welcome to be here anytime."

Casey noticed the obvious detachment in her mother's voice. Her eyes were blank and vacant, staring off into space. Casey cleared her throat and Nora snapped back to reality.

"Well, I'm cooking dinner," she said, then corrected herself, "Well, trying to cook dinner. It should be ready in about an hour. You should join us, Edwin."

"Thanks, but I should really be getting home," he said, then blushed, remembering he _was_ home, "Well, you know."

Nora smiled ruefully, then left the room and quietly shut the door behind her.

Edwin held his hands up, "This is way too weird for me."

"Has George said anything?" Casey asked.

"He hasn't said much," Edwin said, "I've been trying to use my expert spy skills to figure out what's going on, but he's really good at being secretive."

_Secretive_. The word blared through Casey's ears. That was exactly how Nora had described George's actions lately. She shook her head.

"Well, keep trying," Casey said, then sighed, "Maybe things will work out eventually. I mean, this can't be permanent, right?"

Edwin got up from the desk chair and walked to Casey, standing on tip-toe so he could put his hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, Casey. Lizzie and I will get to the bottom of this."

Casey smiled. Good old Edwin. Even though the house had only been empty for a day, she still found she missed everyone profusely. That's when she thought about Derek.

"Well, I'd better get going," Edwin said, pulling his backpack out from its hiding place under Lizzie's bed.

Just as he was about to leave the room, Casey asked casually, "How was Derek acting yesterday?"

Edwin pivoted slowly, regarding her strangely, "Lazy. Semi-conscious. The usual," he exchanged a quick glance with Lizzie, "Why?"

"Oh, no reason," Casey replied, scooting past both of them, "See you later, Edwin."

Edwin and Lizzie exchanged confused, but knowing looks. They shrugged in unison, "Teenagers."


	3. To Say Just What I Mean

**Author's Note: **_This chapter is largely one of transition. I hope you guys still enjoy the wonderful angst, though. Reviews are much appreciated!_

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_Part Three: It is impossible to say just what I mean!_

Derek flung his gym bag to the floor and fell back onto his bed. Hockey practice had been especially grueling that afternoon. He hadn't felt so exhausted in a long time. Every muscle in his body was screaming for relaxation, and he finally gave in, trying to sink further and further down into his bed.

Just when his body was relaxing, his mind began to churn with thoughts of school. Of course, Casey had blabbed to Emily about their parents separating and now the whole school was making a big deal of it. So what? It wasn't anything new. Everybody was patting him on the back, telling him that things would work out. For once in his life, he was sick of all the attention.

Then his mind wandered back to the previous day, when George had come into his room and told him to pack a few things,

"Just get what you need for school tomorrow. You can always come back and get whatever you forget."

He had been sitting on his bed, flipping through a sports magazine. For a moment, he just stared dumbly up at his dad. He was curious about what was going on. His dad _had_ been acting a little strange lately. But there were rules guys had to follow. No questions.

Marti threw a fit and pouted when she was told they were going to stay with Grandma. She crossed her arms stiffly and gave the meanest look an angry child could give,

"Grandma smells!"

Derek thought it was strange that nobody laughed at her comment. Normally, jokes about Grandma lightened the mood. They were harmless but hilarious. But he had just continued stuffing his belongings into his duffel bag.

Casey hadn't been home during all of this, but for some strange reason, he had kept hoping she would walk through the front door. Even as he prepared to leave, he peeked inside her room just to see if she had quietly slipped in. But she wasn't there.

And last night had been completely awkward. Forgetting where he was at times, he began to get up and go to the room next door to bother Casey. By the time he was out the bedroom door, he realized that his grandmother now lodged in the adjacent room. And she snored very loudly and talked about somebody named Mr. Scallops throughout the night.

It was odd; Derek had almost began to feel as if he _missed_ Casey. He almost laughed at himself when the thought had entered his mind. Who would miss her loud, pitchy voice? Or her dumb bubblegum pop music? Or her stubbornness? Or her long brown hair and sparkling eyes? Or her perfect...

He had drifted off to sleep peacefully, and it wasn't until he woke up the next morning that he promised himself no one would ever know what he had dreamt about.

Edwin came into the room, interrupting Derek from his mental replay of the previous day. They now had to share a room. He flopped down onto one of the twin beds and sighed, exasperated,

"How much longer is this going to last?"

Derek sneered, "It's only been a day, Ed. And you know what they say...All the roads to Rome weren't built in a day."

Edwin shook his head, "Rome wasn't built in a day."

"Whatever," Derek replied lazily, "Is there food downstairs?"

"Grandma's cooking her famous meatloaf," he said.

A look of horror spread across the elder Venturi's face, "Famously _disgusting_," he shuddered, then eyed his little brother, "Where have you been?"

Edwin grabbed a sports magazine off of the table nearby and pretended to flip through it interestedly, "Oh, you know. Out and about. Here and there. Having some quality me time."

Derek laughed, rolling off his bed and standing over Edwin, who continued flipping through the magazine as if he were oblivious. Derek just shook his head and sat down on top of his little brother, causing him to sputter and beg for mercy.

"I was at the house," he said, "Lizzie and I were hanging out."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, it was no big deal."

"Then why are you acting like a doofus?"

"I am _not_ acting like a doofus."

"Yes you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes you are," Derek paused, "Was Nora there?"

"Yeah."

Then as casually as possible, "Was Casey there?"

"Yeah," Edwin regarded him strangely, "Why do you care if Casey was there or not?"

Derek didn't miss a beat, finally standing up and allowing Edwin to breathe, "I don't care. Just curious, is all."

"Yeah, right..." Edwin mumbled.

"What was that?" Derek began sitting back down.

"I said, _Darn right_!" he protested, struggling off the bed and heading for the door, "Smells like dinner's ready! See you later, bro!"

* * *

The phone rang just after dinner as Nora was cleaning up the kitchen. Even though Lizzie and Casey had offered to help, she'd insisted that she could handle it herself. For some reason, the usually dull task of scraping plates and washing dishes calmed her nerves a little bit.

Her daughters were being wonderfully supportive. After Edwin had left, they both came down and helped set the table. They engaged her in light conversation about what happened at school. Lizzie learned about acute and obtuse angles. Casey had dropped her books all over the hallway that morning and had been late to first period.

She wanted to pour out her feelings to them, but they were her _children_, after all. They shouldn't bear that burden. Her mother would be arriving the day after tomorrow to stay for a couple of nights. Maybe she would be able to sort things out with her around.

The ringing of the phone had jolted her back to reality and away from her thoughts.

"Hello?" Nora asked, circularly wiping a wet dinner plate with the dish towel.

"Hey, it's me," George said on the other end.

She nearly dropped the plate, but was able to roughly place it in the sink before her whole body went numb.

"Hey George," she said, trying her best to hide the hurt in her voice.

All of this felt alien to her. It had only been a day since he had left the house. But it wasn't the first time she had felt that he was gone.

"I was hoping we could find a time to talk this weekend," he said.

She noted that he sounded nervous. Was he hiding something? Did he plan on serving her with divorce papers? Maybe he planned on begging for forgiveness?

"Me, too," she replied, "Do you want to come by Friday night?"

"That sounds good," he said, "And thanks for letting Edwin stop by this afternoon."

"Oh, well, it is his house. He should feel free to come by anytime. Let him and Marti know that. And Derek, too," she stumbled for words, knowing that their light, airy conversation was all a masquerade.

"I will," he said, then paused, "So, Friday night it is, huh?"

"Right. Friday night," she held back tears.

"Okay, see you then," he said.

Before she knew what was happening, the routine words slipped out so naturally, "I love you."

Her heart stilled in the short moment thereafter. For a second, she thought he had hung up and her heart stung inside her chest. But she heard him say, "I love you, too," before finally hanging up.

* * *

Casey lay awake that night, fingers twiddling the edge of her blanket, a habit she had formed when she became restless and preoccupied in bed. She had been unable to sleep. All she could think about was how strange everything felt. And watching Edwin leave that afternoon had left her stomach unsettled and her brain confused.

She sighed, flipping over onto her side and fluffing and refluffing her pillow angrily. Every cell in her body wanted to blame this whole situation on Derek. Everything around the house was always Derek's fault. When a red sock turned the white laundry pink, it was his fault. When mud was tracked from the front door and up the stairs, it was his fault. When she was mad or sad or hysterical, it was his fault.

But she knew she couldn't blame this on him. This was something completely different. Her mom and George needed to work things out. And from what she had gathered from Derek that day at school and from Edwin that afternoon, nobody was quite sure just what was wrong. Casey tried to think about the relationships she'd had. When she and Sam had fought, they just kissed and made up the next day. Or when she and Max disagreed about something very dear to her, she let him buy her flowers to make up for it. Everything always bounced back to the way that it was.

But that wasn't the case this time. She tried desperately to jog her memory, hoping that something would come to mind that would bring light to the situation. But all she could think about was the silence. Now that she really analyzed the past few weeks, silence had enshrouded the house. Not from the kids, but from the parents. And she had been so wrapped up in her own life that she had failed to notice that everything was falling apart.

Angry at herself, at her mom and George, and at Derek for his uncaring and harsh manner, she sat up quickly. Breathing heavily in the darkness, she tried keep the salty tears from spilling on her cheeks. But after a moment of quiet protestation, she finally gave in and they tumbled down. There, in the dark, she felt more helpless than she ever had in her entire life.

"Okay...okay..." she breathed deeply, "No more crying."

Wiping her wet cheeks with her fingertips, she closed her eyes and took one long breath. If she was this upset, she couldn't imagine how her mom felt. The thought of her mom doing the same exact thing she was doing now made her sick to her stomach. Tired, and a little nauseous, she slowly got out of bed and crept to the bathroom.

The light stung her eyes for a moment, but she was able to adjust fully after a while. She grabbed the empty glass beside the sink and filled it up, taking long gulps until the water was gone. Then she splashed some cold water on her face and told herself that everything was going okay. But looking at her reflection in the mirror, the tired, puffy eyes and the rosy red cheeks, she began to seriously doubt that it would.

Turning off the light, she quietly opened the bathroom door and started for her room. On the way, she happened to glance over at Derek's empty bedroom. The door was wide open, and the moonlight from his uncurtained window was filtering in, casting serene shadows. Her breathe caught in her chest and the tears began to form again.

Standing there, between the two rooms, she scolded herself for even making this a decision. Yet, as she took one step toward her bedroom, something inside of her screamed at her that it was wrong. So, she slowly made her way into Derek's bedroom.

The desperate feeling she'd had all night disappeared as she pulled back the covers of his bed and slipped underneath. The sheets felt surprisingly smooth and cool against her skin. Suddenly, she felt safe. Taking a deep breath, the smell of him surrounded her completely, and she was finally able to drift off to sleep.


	4. Pinned and Wriggling

_Part Four: Pinned and wriggling_

Three pairs of eyes stared down at the anonymous lump beneath Derek's sheets. It was early the next morning, nearly time for first period. Nobody had seen Casey that morning, which was extremely unusual. She was always up early and ready, waking everybody else in the house. When she couldn't be found in her room, everyone in the house decided to search for her. But they never expected to find her _here_.

"Um...Casey?" Nora asked, exchanging a confused look with Lizzie, who then exchanged a confused look with Edwin.

After much pleading that morning, George had dropped Edwin off at the house on his way to work. He hadn't gone inside, but had felt the nagging urge to. In fact, he had wanted to run inside and make coffee with Nora and pretend that all of this awkwardness wasn't happening. But all he did was say good-bye to his youngest son and drive away.

"Arrrgg..." a voice grumbled from below the sheets.

Edwin reached out and poked the lump, which earned him evil glances from the females in the room. He gave them an innocent look and shrugged.

"It's time for school, Casey," Nora tried again, "You're going to be late."

Slowly, a hand slipped out from underneath the tangle mess of linen and gripped the top blanket, the slender fingers curling around the frayed edges. Pulling the sheets aside, Casey yawned lazily, lightly smacking her lips. Her hair wasn't as tangled as it normally was in the mornings, and she looked almost refreshed. But when she saw that she had company, she sat up quickly.

"Hey guys," she said casually, "What's going on?"

"You have to be at school in twenty minutes or you're going to be late," Lizzie said, "Mom was just about to take me and Edwin to school when we realized that you weren't up yet. Strange, really."

"What are you doing in Derek's bed?" Edwin asked, incredulous that the lump _had_ actually turned out to be Casey.

"I...um..." she stammered, "You see...I was just..."

"Casey needs to get ready, you guys," Nora interrupted, "And we need to get going ourselves. Try not to be late, okay honey?"

Casey nodded, a dumbfounded and embarrassed look on her face. Nora was trying to usher the kids out of the room. Just as Edwin was walking out, Casey called after him,

"Hey Edwin?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't tell Derek about this, okay?"

He motioned at his lips, as if he were locking them. He then promptly pretended to throw his imaginary key far across the room. She gave him an appreciative smile and then hurried out of bed, making it to school just on time.

* * *

"She did _what?!_" Derek exclaimed that afternoon after school.

The moment Derek had gotten home from school, Edwin was more than eager to tell his big brother about the sight he had witnessed that morning.

"Casey...slept...in...your...bed...last...night..." Edwin drawled, as if Derek hadn't comprehended.

Derek glared at him, "I heard what you said. I just can't believe it."

Edwin shrugged, flopping down on his bed.

"I'm going to have to burn my sheets now," he shuttered, sitting down on his own bed.

Edwin looked as his watch and groaned, "Dad told Grandma I'd help her roll her knitting yarn during Wheel of Fortune."

"Have fun," Derek replied.

When Edwin left the room, Derek sat for several minutes in silence, lost in tangled thought.

_Casey slept in my bed_.

He leaned back on his bed, propping himself up with his elbows, a confused look on his face.

_She actually got beneath my sheets and slept in my bed._

His elbows gave way. He crossed his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling.

_I've done plenty of stuff with other girls there. But no girl has ever slept there._

His eyes slowly fluttered shut, his breathing becoming more and more relaxed.

_Why isn't this bothering me more? _

"Derek," a voice interrupted.

He snapped back to reality to see his dad standing in the doorway.

"Do me a favor?"

"Sure, Dad. What is it?"

George held up his car keys, "Can you go by the house and pick up a few things that I left there?"

Derek snarled slightly, "Why don't you just go kiss and make up with Nora and do it yourself?"

It had come out a lot harsher than he had intended. The look that spread across his dad's face made him feel guilty for one of the few times in his life. Rolling off the bed, he grabbed the keys out of his dad's hands.

"What do you need?"

"There are a few manila folders in the top right drawer of my desk. And I also need my tape recorder. The black one, not the gray one. It should be somewhere in my desk, too."

Derek grumbled an acknowledgement, grabbing his jacket and leaving.

* * *

Casey had just changed into a tanktop and jeans, getting ready to settle in for the night and begin studying, when the doorbell rang that evening. She thought it might be Edwin again. But when she saw that it was getting late and that it was now dark outside, she curiously peered through the peephole.

It was Derek.

Her heart did something crazy. It started to speed up. Of course, she had seen him at school that day, but they hadn't spoken at all. And now, here he was, on the doorstep. She observed him for a few seconds, taking in his slightly messy hair and his crinkled leather jacket. She had seen him this way a thousand times, but for some reason she couldn't help but stare.

"Who's at the door, honey?" Nora interrupted her thoughts.

She jumped back sheepishly, but quickly recovered. She opened the door.

"Just my mutant stepbrother," she snarled.

"Nice to see you, too, reject," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her to his side.

She roughly shrugged him off, crossing her arms and staring at him expectantly.

"What do you want?"

"Just picking up a few things for Dad," he said, "Chill."

"How is George?" Nora spoke up.

Casey and Derek both turned to look at her. She was standing there, wringing her hands slightly. Derek felt sympathetic for one of the first times in his life. Tonight was beginning to bring a lot out of him that he didn't know he had. It was starting to concern him.

"He's okay. Hasn't shaved in a few days, and he smells kind of funny, but he's okay," Derek replied, "I just need to grab some stuff off his desk."

"Sure, go ahead," Nora said, "I mean, not that I'm giving you permission. It _is_ your house."

"It's okay, Mom. You don't have to explain anything to Derek," Casey said, "It's not like he would listen or care anyway."

Derek sneered at her before going to grab the things that George needed. Nora was determined not to ask Derek anymore questions. Besides, she was the adult here. And this whole situation didn't involve Derek or any of the other kids.

But when Derek appeared again, she couldn't help herself,

"Has he said anything about Friday?"

"No, I don't think so. Why?" he replied.

She shook her head, "No reason."

She disappeared into the kitchen. Casey was still standing by the front door as he made his way to leave, lightly tapping the folders against his palm. She had reopened the door and was standing there with her hand on the knob.

"We need to talk," she said.

"About what? You sleeping in my bed last night?" he smiled.

"Edwin!" she cursed softly under her breath.

She grabbed Derek's arm, pulling him out onto the doorstep, swiftly shutting the door behind her. It was slightly chilly outside and goosebumps began to form on her bare arms. Derek noticed this and almost began taking off his jacket to offer to her, but quickly remembered that this was _Casey_, not one of his dates.

"For your information, the only reason I slept in your bed is because your room gets darker than mine at night. And I couldn't fall asleep last night. And I had a huge test this morning that I absolutely had to make an A on. And I didn't want to sleep on the couch because-"

"Okay, whatever," he said, "I need to get back."

He started down the steps, but she gently grabbed his arm. Normally, he would have been upset, but he just froze.

"Wait," she said softly.

The tone in her voice made him melt inside, another emotion he had never felt before. He turned to look up at her. The tip of her nose was a shade of rosy red, and her lips were quivering slightly from the cold.

"You should get back inside," he said, "It's cold out here."

"George is coming over here on Friday night," Casey said, "That's why Mom asked you if he'd said anything about it."

He was silent for a second, "Do you think they're going to resolve everything?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. I hope so. I mean, Mom has been so sad..."

That's when the first tear slipped out from the corner of her eye. She had been trying to hard to hold them back, like last night, but here they came again. They passed quickly and quietly down her cheeks. Derek groaned loudly.

"Come on, no crying. You know I don't do crying."

But that made her cry even harder. She sobbed loudly, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. She hated this. She hated crying in front of Derek. But she just couldn't help it.

"Casey..." he pleaded, afraid that Nora would hear the loud wails and come outside.

He stepped back up onto the door step, putting the folders onto the porch rail, and stood opposite her. Her arms were still crossed, and she refused to look him in the eye. He reached out and gently grabbed her arm. She was stiff at first, confused about what was going on. But when he softly tugged at her arm, she let herself fall into him.

His arms enveloped around her, securely holding her against him. She cried quietly into his shoulder, her face buried into his crisp leather jacket. She finally uncrossed her arms, wrapping them around his waist. That's when she felt his hand on the back of her head, tenderly playing with her hair.

"Everything's going to be okay," he whispered.

Casey sniffled, resting her head on his shoulder. Though she had stopped crying, he held her there for a few more seconds before letting go. They stood there awkwardly for a while. Finally, he cleared his throat.

"I'd better get going."

He quickly grabbed the folders and trotted down the steps, leaving her there on the porch more than a little stunned.


	5. With a Smile

_Part Five: To have bitten off the matter with a smile_

Casey paused momentarily before finally swinging the front door open and leaving the house. Her mother was busy making dinner in the kitchen, feverishly caring for every detail. Casey could have sworn she saw her mother move the utensils on the table six or seven times before finally leaving them be, satisfied they looked perfectly arranged.

Tears stung in her eyes as she closed the door behind her. She almost collapsed into strangling sobs there on the porch, but she composed herself. Thinking about what happened the previous night in the very same place she was standing.

Of course, she had slept quite restlessly last night. She hadn't dared creep back into Derek's room and risk being caught again. She wasn't entirely sure why she had even done it in the first place. At least Derek hadn't made a big deal about it.

"Are you ready?" Lizzie asked, standing at the bottom of the porch stairs.

Casey looked down at her little sister. She had almost forgotten that she was supposed to take her mother's car and drive Lizzie over to hang out with Edwin. As for herself, she wasn't quite sure what she was going to be doing that night. Emily had plans with her new boyfriend, and that would have been her only route out of solitude.

"I'm coming," Casey said, jogging down the steps.

They both got into the car. While they were backing out of the driveway, George pulled up and parked on the street. Casey suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Why would he do that? This was his house, and he was going to fix everything with Nora tonight. So, why was he parking his car on the street like a strange coming to an acquaintance's dinner party?

George seemed not to notice them, or that was what Casey liked to think since he didn't get out of the car, not even as Casey watched him intently in the rearview mirror as she drove down the street. Lizzie tore her from her thoughts,

"So what are you going to do tonight?"

"I don't know, Liz."

"You could hang out with Edwin and I. He told me his Grandma might try to get us to straighten all of the pictures in the house."

Casey's immediate thought was that she didn't want to be stuck with an 80-year-old woman and two tweens on a Friday night. She should be out with friends, a boyfriend even, having the time of her life. She shouldn't be feeling like her entire world was falling apart. But she quickly dismissed that thought, and flashed a somewhat genuine smile at Lizzie.

"I'll stay for a while if you want."

* * *

"There are several pictures in the upstairs hallway that have been crooked since the day my nephew Jimmy put them up. Won't you be dears and straighten them out?" Grandma Venturi croaked out.

Lizzie and Edwin looked up at Casey helplessly, expectantly.

"I was going to help Edwin and Lizzie with their science homework," Casey said, "But maybe another day, when we're not so busy being good students?"

Grandma Venturi gazed at Casey for several seconds, "Who are you again?"

"I'm Casey, George's stepdaughter," she replied.

"That's right! The smart one. That's how George always reminds me of who you are," she sighed, "Well, go help those young ones with their schooling. Marti and I will be watching _Golden Girls_ if you need me."

Marti, who had been sitting on the sofa the entire time, poked her head out,

"Grandma lets me wrap my stuffed animals in yarn like mummies!"

Casey smiled down at her little stepsister before scrambling upstairs with Edwin and Lizzie. She had never been inside Grandma Venturi's house before, but it was much different than what she expected. Nora's mother and father had a good amount of money. They put fancy plates and teacups out for decoration. Here, the only décor was framed puzzles on the wall.

"Poor Marti!" Casey exclaimed once they got upstairs, "Will she ever be the same again?"

"It's gotten bad, Casey," Edwin sighed dramatically, "We can only hope that she will recover in time."

It was silent for a moment, and that was when Casey thought about Derek. Of course, when she had first arrived she had quickly assessed that he wasn't in the house. But now, she thought about him again, about the intimate moment they shared the previous night and would probably never share again.

"Where's Derek?" Casey asked.

"What is it with you two, always asking about each other?" Edwin shook his head, completely aware of the connotations he was stirring up, "He's out on a date, I think. Cindy, Sandra, Susan...I don't know."

"Oh," Casey replied.

Suddenly, the loud slam of the front door made them all jump. The hard sound of pounding on the stairs caused them to turn in anticipation to see who it was.

"What are you doing home so early on a Friday night?" Edwin asked.

Derek sneered, "Why are you still only four feet tall?"

He noticed Casey then, her standing there with her arms crossed as if defending herself, protecting herself. He had lain in bed last night and thought about his moment of weakness, pulling her into that hug. Finally, before drifting off into a fitful sleep, he had told himself that he hated watching females cry. And, begrudgingly, he couldn't deny the fact that she was a girl.

"How was your date?" Casey asked.

He snorted, "I wasn't on a date. I was out with Sam. Who told you I was on a date?"

Edwin and Lizzie had already scooted off to another room, leaving them alone in the hallway.

"I mean, I definitely_ could_ have been on a date. I had plenty of girls practically begging me to take them out, but I plan on flying solo for a while," he said suavely.

"Okay..." Casey regarded him strangely, "But we need to talk."

"About what?"

"When I was leaving the house with Lizzie earlier, George pulled up. But he didn't park in the driveway. He parked on the street."

Casey could have sworn she heard crickets chirping before Derek replied,

"So?"

"So...he's acting like a complete stranger. Derek, this meeting tonight between them has to go well," she said.

"You aren't going to start crying again are you?" he asked.

"No," she replied defiantly.

"Good, because I don't think I can handle any more rampant female emotions," he said, walking into his bedroom and plopping down onto his bed.

Casey stood in the doorway for a minute, watching him open a guitar magazine and flip through a few pages.

"And you're standing there...why?"

She gave him a small smile, "Thanks for last night. I know it must have been hard for you, but thank you."

"Well, just don't let it happen again," Derek replied, "Hugging you was just...weird."

She would have been offended if she hadn't caught a glimpse of a smile playing on his lips as she turned around to leave.

* * *

"That was an excellent meal, Nora," George said, dabbing at his mouth, "Really, you outdid yourself this time."

"Thanks, George," she replied, quickly taking a sip of wine.

She had decided early on that alcohol definitely needed to be involved in the night's dinner with George. It relaxed her. It prepared her. It made her feel like she could hear anything come out of his lips and still be okay.

"I guess it's that time, huh?" George said.

"I guess so," was her reply.

He was uncomfortable. She watched him squirm restlessly in his chair, the same chair that he sat in almost every night for dinner when everything had been normal. When he drove up earlier that night, she had peered out the window and noticed that he parked on the street. It unnerved her.

"Nora, I love you so much, you know that," he began.

She nodded, lifting her glass to her lips. She could tell by the tone in his voice what he was going to say even before he said it. And when he finally spoke the words she had been dreading she would hear for months, she wasn't quite sure what to do.

"I slept with someone else," he said, "It wasn't some grand affair or anything like that. It only happened one time, a few weeks ago. I don't know why I did it. I don't love her, Nora. You're the only woman I love. It was a stupid, stupid mistake. For some reason, nothing I'm saying right now sounds like it makes any sense. God, I'm such an asshole."

Her heart stopped beating in her chest. For a moment, she debated whether or not she should she scold it into resuming its rhythmic pulse again. Her whole body began to tremble, but with what? Anger because he had betrayed her? Sorrow because he had betrayed her? Fear because he had betrayed her?

_He betrayed me._

"Not you, George," she barely murmured, "Not you."

"Nora, I-"

"Get out," she said, her voice trembling.

He looked at her for several seconds, watched her lean frame sitting there rigidly. She was looking at him directly, her eyes filled with a fire fueled by so many emotions, he wasn't sure he could identify them all.

He slowly got up from the table and went to the door, grabbing his jacket off of the coat rack.

"I'm so sorry, Nora. I would give anything to take it back, to get another chance," he said.

"Get out," she repeated, her hands now dangerously gripping the edge of the table.

George quietly slipped outside. Nora sat there for several minutes, her fingers becoming numb and her whole body following suit. She felt emotionless, suspended during those minutes. Her mind flashed images of the strangest things; the dog she'd had when she was a child that ran away and never came back, Casey's fifth-grade science project that they had both spent the entire night working on, her wedding day.

She slowly stood up from the table, reaching out and grabbing her plate, intending to clean up. Instead, she threw the dish against the wall. It didn't break completely, only cracked halfway through before landing on the carpeted floor. Angrily, she picked up George's dish and threw it, and this time the plate broke into several tiny small pieces.

Not nearly satisfied, she picked up the butter dish, the porcelain pan full of green beans and her wine glass and smashed them as well. She had never felt so angry, so empty in her life. Not even after her first divorce.

"Oh God," she finally gasped, standing amongst the broken dishes and splattered food.

She broke down into tears, sinking down into the chair, the mess scattered about her.

"I can't do this again," she shook her head, wiping at her tears, "I can't."

Silence ensued for mere seconds before the sounds of her watch ticking jarred her back to reality. It was getting late. Casey and Lizzie would be back in half an hour.

"I need to clean up this mess," she told herself, disappearing into the kitchen.


	6. The Fool

**Author's Note: **_Hey guys! Sorry that it took me so long to update. I also apologize that this chapter is so severely short. I'm just trying to transition the story a little to get it back on track. I hope this isn't terribly boring for you all. Happy New Year!_

_

* * *

Part Six: The Fool_

When Casey and Lizzie returned home that night, the house was eerily silent. All of the lights were off, except for the light in their mother's room. The girls exchanged wary, frightened looks.

"Why don't you go up to your room and get ready for bed while I go talk with Mom?" Casey said gently.

Lizzie nodded, quietly making her way up the stairs. She didn't even look back as she went into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. Casey took a deep breath for a moment, standing there quietly in the dark. Deciding to wait a few minutes before confronting her mother, she slipped into the kitchen for a glass of water.

The first thing she noticed was the sack of trash resting by the back door. It wasn't tied, so she went over slowly and pulled back the black flap. Barely, in the darkness, she made out the broken pieces of plates, the good china plates that her mother fussed over all the time, and the mounds of uneaten food that slid in between. As she tugged on the bag, one of the broken pieces shifted and fell to the bottom of the bag, a loud thunk sounding throughout the kitchen.

Casey was sure her mother would be in there in a flash, demanding to know why she meddling. She paused for several moments, but heard nothing. Sighing deeply, she pulled a glass out of the cabinet and filled it with water from the tap. She wanted to go to her other's side, wanted to hug her and ask her how things had gone tonight. But now, it seemed like she already had her answer.

It was hard to know what to do. Casey hated that she felt so much like an adult that she needed to go to her mother, and she hated that she still felt too much like a child to feel comfortable doing it. She glanced back over at the sack of trash by the back door. Her mother never threw things. She never lost her temper so much that she felt the need to destroy, not even when Marti had broken her expensive string of pearls, the ones that Casey's great-grandmother had given to Nora.

Lifting the glass to her lips once more, she was surprised to find it weightless. The water was gone. No more stalling. Leaving the empty glass in the sink, so uncharacteristic of her, she left the kitchen, walked past her mother's door, and went straight to Lizzie's room. Lizzie was sitting in her bed, halfway covered up by the blankets. She looked up expectantly at her big sister. Casey strode across the room, hugged Lizzie tightly and kissed her on the top of the head.

"Mom was asleep," she whispered, "I'll talk to her tomorrow, okay? Try to get some sleep. You can come in my room if you can't."

Lizzie nodded, and Casey left, turning off the light. She leaned back against the door as she stood out in the hallway, closing her eyes tight and wishing this all were a very bad dream.

* * *

"Hey," Derek said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Hey," Casey replied.

Casey had awaken that morning to find that her mother was gone. A simple note by the coffee pot indicated that she was out and would be back before the end of the day. Lizzie was particularly distressed about the whole thing, and Casey decided that it was best to drop her off to stay with Edwin for the afternoon. Any contact with the life they had would be good for her. Casey was also feeling like she needed the same.

So, she took the extra car and drove Lizzie over. She found that Derek was already awake, and it wasn't even noon yet. He had a serious look in his eyes as she trudged up the front steps. Lizzie slipped on inside and she and Edwin raced upstairs.

"Is George here?" Casey asked.

He shook his head.

"Did he come home last night?"

"Yeah, but look, Casey, we need to talk," he said, peering over his shoulder, "But not in front of Lizzie and Ed."

She nodded solemnly as he shut the door behind them and they started down the steps. It was cold outside again, a sign of the approaching winter that was to quickly devour them. Casey thought that she should be happy that winter holidays were approaching, but she couldn't focus on anything but her mother. She pulled her coat closer to her body as she and Derek walked along the sidewalk.

"Do you know what happened last night?" Derek asked, the breath seeping through his lips in little misty clouds.

"I got home and my mom was in her room. There were a bunch of broken plates in a garbage sack by the back door, but I didn't bother her," Casey admitted pathetically, "I take it things didn't go too well. George didn't say anything, did he?"

"He came home late, even I was already in bed. I heard a loud crash and I went to check it out. He was drunk out of his mind, Casey. I've never seen my dad drunk before," Derek said, "Casey, my dad told me everything that happened, whether he intended to or not."

"And?" Casey said, stopping to look at him.

"My dad had an affair. He slept with someone else. Last night, at their dinner at the house, he told Nora," Derek said.

"Oh my God..." Casey drifted, feeling a weight in her chest she had never felt before, "Oh my God...I can't believe this."

Derek didn't say a word, just stood staring at her face as it grew even redder than the cold had made it.

"How dare he!" Casey grumbled loudly, "What the hell is wrong with him?"

"I woke up this morning and he was gone," Derek continued, "Look, I know-"

"What a bastard!" she shrieked.

"Hey, that's my dad you're talking about. I'm not defending what he did. I would never be okay with something like that, but he's my dad," Derek said, "So keep the name calling to a minimum."

Casey paused a moment and mumbled an apology, but the anger was still there inside of her. And the obscenities still flowed freely through her brain. How could George do this to her mom? How could he do this to the family? It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. Why?

"I wish he hadn't," Derek said.

She looked into his eyes and saw that, for one of the only times in his life, he was actually sincere. If she weren't so angry, she might begin to cry. Instead, she stood resolutely.

"Well, I guess it's over then," Casey said, "All of this. Their marriage. The family. Everything. Oh God, I don't know how I'm going to tell Lizzie. Have you told Edwin?"

Derek shook his head, "I was waiting to tell you first."

A strange feeling of warmth and security spread through her body at that moment. It almost negated all of the negative feelings she'd had in the past few days. She brushed it quickly aside.

"My mom will never take George back," Casey whispered, "It's over."

Derek began to reach out to her, started to grip her elbow gently between his fingers and pull her close, like he had the other night on the front porch of the house. But he stopped.

"Come on, let's get back. It's cold," he said.

She nodded dumbly, following him back to his grandmother's house and disappearing inside. But nothing, not even the artificial warmth of the indoors, could make her feel better.


	7. No One Has Ever Returned Alive

_Part Seven: No One Has Ever Returned Alive From This Depth_

Casey stared out the window of her new bedroom and sighed. She had only been there two weeks and already she felt horrible. Six days after Derek had told her the news about George and her mom, they were already settling into a new house. Her mom had come into her room late one night and sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Sweetheart, are you awake?" her mom whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear.

Of course she was awake. She hadn't had a good night's sleep ever since this whole mess started. But she didn't want her mother to worry too much, so she simply groaned in response, as if she'd been having wonderful dreams and resented being wakened.

"I found a new place for us temporarily," Nora said, "It's a little townhouse on the other side of town. Maybe, after a while, we can find a house somewhere."

"Sounds good, Mom…" Casey mumbled, turning over to face the wall.

As soon as her Mom shut the door behind her, she'd dissolved into tears.

And now, here she was, sitting in an unfamiliar room in an unfamiliar place surrounded by stacks and stacks of unpacked boxes. She had seen Derek the past week at school, but they hadn't spoken. Every now and then, when they passed each other in the hallway, she could see in his eyes that he knew. He knew she was moving out and he was moving back in.

A soft knock on her door startled her out of her thoughts. Lizzie appeared.

"Derek's bringing Edwin over," she said.

Casey smiled, "That's good. What are you two going to do?"

Lizzie shrugged and sat down at Casey's desk, "Watch a movie or something. I don't know."

"You'll figure something out," Casey replied, "Do you like it here?"

"Not really. But I didn't really like moving into the old house either and it wound up being okay," Lizzie replied, "So, you never know."

Nora appeared in the doorway holding two mugs.

"I made hot chocolate," she said, "I wanted to test out the new stove. So, are you girls getting settled in?"

"We are," Casey said, mustering all of the happiness she could, "Just taking a little break until Edwin gets here."

Nora placed the two mugs on Casey's desk, "Edwin's coming?"

"I was going to tell you…" Lizzie said.

Nora smiled, "It's okay, sweetie. Edwin's always welcome here. Is Derek bringing him?"

Lizzie nodded.

"Well, I'll go get some more mugs unpacked!" she chirped, disappearing downstairs.

Casey heard a car door slam and she turned to look out the window again. There was Edwin, getting out of the passenger's side and walking uncertainly up to the door. She couldn't see him, but she knew Derek was sitting there behind the wheel. He wasn't getting out. The doorbell rang and Casey followed Lizzie downstairs.

When they opened the door, Edwin stood awkwardly on the front steps, bouncing up and down slightly to keep warm. The car was still idling in the driveway.

"Come in, Edwin. It's freezing out here!" Casey exclaimed.

Edwin rushed past her and he and Lizzie quickly made their way upstairs. She turned and saw that Derek hadn't moved the car. Without shoes or a jacket, she quickly padded down the front steps and out to the car. The passenger's side door was unlocked, so she opened it and slid into the front seat.

"Are you crazy?" Derek exclaimed immediately, "It's freezing out here!"

He reached forward and turned the heat up as high as it would go.

"I'm fine," Casey said, "Are you going to come inside?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said.

"Why?"

"It would just be too weird."

"Oh," she replied, "I guess you guys are back in the old house?"

"Yup."

"That's good," she whispered.

"No, it's not," he replied, then saw that Casey was shivering violently, "Jesus, Casey. Here. Take this."

He unfastened his seatbelt and started unzipping his jacket.

"It's okay, Derek. I'm fine."

But he'd already slid it off and extended it to her. She cautiously took it and slid it on, wrapping it tightly around her.

"Why haven't we spoken to each other since last week?" she asked, "I mean, I know things are weird and everything but it doesn't mean we should ignore each other."

"I haven't been ignoring you. I just don't know what to say. My dad's an idiot. He hurt your mom, and now we all have to deal with the consequences," he replied.

"Do you think they're going to get divorced?"

He shrugged, "I don't know."

They sat silently for a few moments.

"Well, I guess I'll go back inside," she said.

Casey hesitated, waiting to see if he would stop her from leaving. She wasn't sure why but she didn't want him to drive away. But he didn't stop her, didn't lay his hand gently upon her arm or call her name. She shut the door and hurried inside, knowing perfectly well she still had his coat wrapped tightly around her body.

* * *

Derek lay in his old bed again that night. It was the first time since everything had happened that he'd slipped between those familiar sheets. His mind flashed back to the moment a few weeks ago when Edwin had told him that Casey had slept in his bed. He grinned to himself when he thought about it.

Which was something that unsettled him. A mere two weeks ago, he and Casey had been fighting like cats and dogs. They were normal. He would find ways to undermine her obsessive perfection and she, in turn, would flip out. It was like breathing – something you had to do to live but never really thought about.

But ever since the split, all Derek had thought about was how much he missed it. The teasing and the fighting. He hadn't realized how intimate it all was until she was gone. He hadn't realized that no other girl could fill her role until the void was there. He was surprised how much it affected him.

He was even more surprised by the slowly-evolving realizations he was having. He was realizing things about his father that he'd never thought could be possible. He was realizing that relationships and commitments and love were hard and awkward things that even the sanest and most responsible people couldn't even grasp. He was realizing that he was much more attached to Casey Macdonald than he ever dreamed he could be.

He turned over in bed, closing his eyes, determined that he would never let anything happen between them. Even if she did, by some wild chance, feel something similar to what he felt, there was no way he could ever allow a relationship to develop. Derek Venturi, now more than ever, didn't believe in commitments. He had ceased naively thinking that two people could make it work.

Casey meant too much to him. Hurting her would kill him inside. Which was why he would just ignore his feelings. He took a deep breath and struggled to fall asleep, his mind drifting in and out of thoughts of her.


	8. Let us go then, you and I

_Part Eight: Let us go then, you and I_

"Girls, I need to talk to you," Nora said one night as the three of them sat at their new kitchen table eating dinner.

It was about a week after the move-in. Most of the boxes had been unpacked and they were beginning to settle into the kind of life that would be their new life. The entire house was eerily silent, something Casey used to fervently wish for every day when living with the Venturis but now that it had actually become reality, she scolded whoever it was that granted wishes. She hadn't actually meant for it to come true.

"Sure, Mom. What's up?" Casey said, putting her fork down beside her plate and crossing her arms on the table.

"I know that things have been rough for the past few weeks. Moving out of the old house and into this one. Lizzie, you being away from Edwin. It's been a trying time for us all," she said, taking a deep and shaky breath, "Girls, I filed for divorce today."

Casey remained silent. What was there to say? She couldn't say she hadn't seen this coming. Her mother was a strong woman. And although she loved George, she would never forego her character for the sake of appearances. She hadn't done it with Casey's father and she wouldn't do it now.

"I know that this isn't what we planned when we moved into the Venturi house. I know things are a little strange right now but we'll work through them. Okay?" Nora said, a strained and absolutely transparent smile stretched across her face.

Lizzie didn't say a word. She got up from the table with her plate and water glass and disappeared into the kitchen. Mother and eldest daughter sat quietly as they listened to the loud clanking of utensils and dishes in the sink and the running of water. Then the rattling of the dishwasher as the bottom rack was yanked open and forcefully pushed back in. She emerged from the kitchen without making eye contact and silently made her way upstairs.

"It's not what I want," Nora admitted in a whisper, rubbing the heels of her hands against her forehead.

"I know. Lizzie doesn't blame you. She just misses them, you know. Edwin, especially," Casey said.

"When I met George, I thought he was the perfect man. He was taking care of three children all on his own. He was successful. I fell in love with him instantly. After your father and I separated, Casey, I never thought I would meet anyone else. But the moment I laid eyes on George, it was all over," Nora said, "I can't say that I don't still love and care about him. But I could never trust him again. I would be a foolish woman if I did."

"I'm not mad at you, Mom. I have never been mad at you. If anything, I'm furious at George for showing us this great life we could have had and then selfishly taking it all away."

"I know people make mistakes-"

"Don't rationalize this," Casey interrupted, "Don't for one second believe that this was just a mistake. This was devastation. This can't be reversed. I respect your decision and I support you in it."

"Oh, Casey. I can't believe I'm falling apart like this," Nora admitted, "I'm just so glad I have you girls in my life."

Nora grabbed her plate and got up from the table, giving Casey an appreciative smile. She smiled back. Inside, her heart was taking itself apart, bit by bit, like a jigsaw puzzle. It was finally over. No more Venturi-Macdonald household. No more big family dinners or Christmases. No more listening to Derek's loud rock music pour through the walls and swirl about in her room. No more fighting over the remote or struggles for domestic domination.

No more hope that things would ever be okay again.

* * *

"She filed for divorce yesterday," Casey said.

She and Derek were walking home from school. They'd stayed pretty clear of each other but when her mother had told her the news last night, she'd been determined to talk to him about it. He was talking to Sam and closing his locker door when she'd appeared at his side and asked if she could talk to him.

"I'll catch you later, Sam," he'd said, falling in stride beside her.

"I guess your dad should be getting the paperwork today sometime," she sighed.

"I guess so," he replied.

She noticed that he had on another jacket, not the leather one she'd taken from him that night. Not the one that she curled up in as she studied or watched television. It was a new one made of some slippery black fabric that wasn't Derek at all.

"Well, looking on the bright side of things, at least now you can convert my room into the man cave you've always wanted," Casey said, forcing a smile, "What was it you told me the day we moved in? That you'd had big plans for that room that involved hockey sticks, your favorite recliner and a big screen TV and now I was ruining it all?"

"You did sort of kill any chance of the man cave. I was this close to getting my dad to agree to it until he had to go off and marry your mom," Derek replied.

They were both quiet for a moment. The only sound was the whirling of the wind around them. It was bitterly cold. School would be out in a few weeks. Christmas would be coming. Even those quick glances at school that they exchanged would disappear for a while.

"So, I guess weren't not going to be stepsiblings anymore, huh?" he said.

"Yeah, I guess not. I'm sure you're thrilled about that," she said, "Despite everything."

"We may have never gotten along before now but it didn't mean that I wanted you to leave," he said.

"Oh." Her face grew warm.

They finally reached his house. Casey had been unaware that her feet had been leading her to the familiar place. It looked the same on the outside but for some reason she thought it appeared empty and forlorn. She ached to go inside.

"Look, Sam and I were going to hang out tonight with a couple of people. Probably go catch a movie or something. Do you want to come? It'll help you get your mind off stuff."

She'd clearly heard what he'd said but almost couldn't comprehend it. Derek had never asked her to do anything with him before. He'd never wanted to be seen in public with her. She hesitated momentarily.

"Sure, I guess. I'll invite Emily. I haven't seen her in a while," Casey said.

"Do you want me to drive you home? It's pretty cold out here," Derek said.

She shook her head, "I can walk. Despite the move, this town's pretty small. You can't get rid of me that easily, Derek."

He smiled, "I'll call you later and let you know the plans."

She barely managed to say goodbye as he turned and jogged up the front steps. She could barely contain the smile that was slowly spreading over her face as she hurried to get home.

When Derek got inside, he stripped himself of all his winter garb and deposited it on the floor by the front door. Jacket. Gloves. Scarf. He listened carefully but didn't hear his dad moving around. Stepping carefully, he made his way into his dad's office. There he was, bent over his desk, asleep. He hadn't slept in his bedroom since the day they'd returned.

Derek saw a large manila envelope lying by his dad's head. Scanning the front of it quickly, he saw that they were from a law office and more than likely the divorce papers that had been quickly sent off. It had been opened. There was no telling how long his dad would lay there, motionless and unfeeling and quietly disturbed. He loudly cleared his throat. George reeled backwards, losing his balance and almost falling to the floor.

"Derek, what are you doing home this late?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"It's four o'clock in the afternoon," Derek replied.

George turned to look out the window, "Oh, right."

Derek shook his head, "I'm going out tonight with some friends."

George's eyebrows raised, "And you're asking my permission?"

Derek shrugged, "Just thought you'd want to know. When did you get that?"

He gestured to the envelope. George looked down and awkwardly picked it up, staring at the front of it, studying the simple thing that had brought him the worst news.

"Dad," Derek persisted.

He jumped again, startled from his thoughts, "This morning. After I dropped Marti off at school. They're divorce papers, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

His dad tossed the envelope back onto his desk and stood up, having to brace himself against the wall for a moment while he regained balance. He managed a smile.

"Where are you going tonight?"

"Probably to a movie or something. We haven't decided yet."

"When will you be home?"

"Does it matter? You don't have to pretend to be a good dad now that Nora's gone," Derek replied more bitterly than he'd intended.

George walked past his son, patting Derek's shoulder as he started for the kitchen.

"I guess not," he said.

Derek regretted what he'd said as he watched his dad walk dejectedly to the kitchen. He hadn't been aware of how angry he was with him until now. He'd never been a bad dad, just a lousy husband. Derek sighed and made his way up to his room. He paused for a moment before going in. Glancing over at Casey's empty room, he couldn't help himself. He slowly walked inside and stood there among the nothingness. It still felt like her. It still smelled like her. He took a deep breath and then let it out.

His cellphone started to ring, which turned him from his thoughts. He left Casey's room and pulled the phone from his pocket.

"Hey, Sam. What's up?"

"There's a party tonight at Kelly's house," Sam replied, "You in?"

"Yeah, sounds fun," he replied, "Oh, wait. I don't know. I invited Casey along tonight. I don't know if that's something she's really into."

"You invited Casey?"

"Things have been weird lately, you know. I thought I'd be nice."

"I get it. How are you taking it? How's Casey?"

"We're both okay, I guess. Look, it's not a big deal. I'll see if she wants to go and we'll meet you there if she says yes," Derek said.

"Sounds good, man. See you later."

Derek waited a few minutes before he called Casey.

"Hey, Derek. As soon as you went in the house, I wondered if you even had my number. I guess you did," Casey greeted him.

"Yeah, I did. Look, Sam wants to go to a party tonight at Kelly's house-"

"Kelly Davidson?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Casey snorted, "Derek, you know that people like me aren't invited to parties like that. I'm the laughing stock of the school ninety-five percent of the time."

"It won't be like that, Casey. But if you don't want to go, that's fine," he said.

"No, I'll go," she relented, "I need to get out of this house. It's too quiet."

"Same here."

There was an awkward pause.

"Well, I'll call Emily and we'll meet over there. You can drive?"

"Sure. See you then."

Derek hung up the phone and couldn't help but smile not matter how hard his heart tried to convince him that he shouldn't.


End file.
